Forever Ours
by NALEY23alwaysforever
Summary: "No matter what happens, no one can take this from us. What we have. It's forever ours." What would have happened if Kelly and Erin hadn't broken up after Shay's death? How would that affect how they end up with the people they're meant to be with? Linseride relationship. Eventual Linseride Friendship with Linstead and Severanna pairings. Rated T for language, potentially M later.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey! So, I really shouldn't be starting a new story but this one has been sitting in the vault for a while now and I finally am ready to start sharing it.**

 **This story is dedicated to Danielle and Laura, both of whom wanted a Linseride story where they still stay friends when they break up, and actually _help_ each other get together with their future partners; Jay and Anna. I hope you guys like it :)**

 **Enjoy!**

"You do realise that I'm a cop right?" Erin says as she tries to suppress her chuckle.

"Erinnnnn. Just, let me be alright?" Kelly whines as he shoves his shoulder into the door of Shay's apartment.

"Dude, you're breaking and entering." She says as he bangs his shoulder into the door again.

" _Dude._ Shay said I could crash here." Kelly sasses back.

"I'm pretty sure she _didn't_ say you could break down her door!" Erin laughed.

Kelly smiled triumphantly as the door pushed open, the chain lock on Shay's door breaking apart and landing on the floor with several loud _ding!_

"You do realise you could've just stayed at my place until she got home right?" Erin asks as she settles down on the couch.

Kelly smirks as he hands her a beer bottle, sitting down next to her "If I stayed at your place, I wouldn't have left."

"What's so bad about that?" Erin teased.

Kelly smiled leaning in to kiss her neck "Nothing really, but I did promise Shay we'd hang out tonight. Can't exactly stand up my roommate date now can I?"

Erin giggled as his breath tickled her skin "You're such a dork."

"You love it." He said proceeding to press his lips against hers.

"Shay's going to be home any minute." She mumbled against him.

Kelly just shrugged and kept kissing her "She can wait a little longer."

...

"What the hell happened to my door!?" Erin sat up as she heard Shay's voice shriek through the apartment "Kelly, what the hell did you- Oh."

Erin felt her cheeks heat up as she held the thin sheet tightly against her bare chest, wishing she could sink into the bed and be invisible.

"Hi Shay." Kelly said casually, arms folded behind his head as he watched Erin's embarrassment with amused eyes.

"Kelly Severide, why is my lock chain broken?" Shay said focusing her attention back to him.

"I left my key at the firehouse and, well, I was a bit desperate to get inside." He replied eyeing Erin.

Shay smirked as she and her friend took in the flustered cop "I don't blame you." She said with a wink before walking back out of the bedroom "Get your ass in here before I start the movie without you!"

"Oh my god." Erin groaned as she dropped her head into her hands. She looked up and reached behind her to slap Severide's chest as he laughed "It's not funny!"

"Oh come on, Shay's harmless." Kelly said nonchalantly "Besides, like she could compete with me."

Erin rolled her eyes as she got up from the bed and began putting on her clothes "If that's what you need to believe."

"Wait." Kelly said sitting up in the bed "Are you saying you'd prefer my best friend over _me_?"

Erin gave a cheeky smile, pulling her top down and leaning over to kiss Severide's cheek "See you later babe."

"Oh you're in trouble now." He said, sporting a sly grin as he stood up "Erin!" he called as she raced out of the room.

He quickly pulled on his boxers and track pants before scrambling after her, stopping short in the living room when he heard the door shut.

"Jeez Kelly, just how bad was it?" Shay laughs as he sits down next to her "If you want some tips, I'd be happy to show Er-"

"Don't even think of finishing that sentence." Kelly grumbled.

Shay smiled leaning her head on his shoulder "Alright, clearly someone's sensitive tonight. What movie are we watching?"

"I don't care, whatever you want." Kelly shrugged.

Shay looked up at him, an exaggerated look of shock on her face "I'm sorry, is _the_ Kelly Severide letting _me_ pick the movie?"

Kelly rolled his eyes as he looked down at his phone, smiling at the text he saw from Erin.

 _Thanks for tonight, however short-lived it may have been..._

Kelly chuckled softly before sending a quick reply.

 _Definitely your place next time ;)_

His phone buzzed again but before he could check the text his phone had been pulled from his hold and was now securely in Shay's hands, who was now typing out a message.

"Damn, detective gives as good as she gets." she said when the phone buzzed and she quickly typed back a reply.

"What did she say?" Kelly said trying to reach back to grab the phone.

"Nope." Shay said tucking his phone into her pocket "You and me night. No interruptions."

"Shay!" Kelly whined for the second time that night "Come on, just let me talk to her."

Shay looked at him for a few minutes, her voice softer when she responded "You really like her don't you?"

"... She's the first girl I've ever truly felt comfortable to be myself with in a long time."

"Ugh, fine. This is too sappy for me." Shay replied pulling his phone back out and tossing it to him "You've got it bad Kelly."

"I know." He smiled before looking back down at his phone "Wait ... Did you proposition my girlfriend!?"

* * *

 _Definitely your place next time ;)_

Erin smiled as she read the text, before sending a simple reply _Definitely. At least I won't have to sit out on the side of the street while you hang out with your other girlfriend._

She was pulled from her screen when she saw the headlights shining on the street, and looked up to see the 300 approaching.

 _You could always come back up and have some fun with us..._

Erin couldn't help but laugh at the response. _'Only Shay'_ she thought to herself, before typing out a response.

 _Don't tempt me babe, we both know you'll lose x_

"Hey, you planning on freezing your ass out there all night? I'm happy to drive back to my apartment." She rolled her eyes at her partner before getting inside the car.

"Thanks for coming to get me." She said as she buckled herself in.

Jay smirked looking her up and down, noting her messy hair and the wrongly aligned buttons of her shirt "Walk of shame already? It's only 10.30 Erin.'

"Shut up." She grumbled "Kelly and Shay are hanging out tonight, I didn't want to interrupt."

"So does that mean we're watching the game together?" Jay asked as he started driving once more.

When no response came, he looked over at the next red traffic light to see Erin smiling down at her phone.

"You've got it bad." He said looking back at the road as the light turned green.

"You have no idea." She said softly.

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, so this is kind of a short chapter but it's sort of a prologue I guess in a way? Anyways, hope you guys all like this story idea and keep reading to see just how Erin and Kelly go, as well as how Linstead and Severanna come to be!**

 **Please leave a review and let me know what you think, and if there's anything you'd like to see happen in the story I'm happy to try and incorporate it just let me know in your review. Thanks for reading!**

 **\- Maddie :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: hey guys, thanks so much for your reviews!**

 **I'm jumping a little bit in the first few chapters because whole this is a slow burn story I also don't want it to take too long before we reach the end haha**

 **I'm a little rusty on Shay's family dynamic so I kind of went a bit AU in terms of it. I don't really remember if her dad or mum were ever brought up so I made my own interpretations of her relationship with them.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _*May, 2014*_

Erin sighed as she called Kelly for the third time that day, yet again listening to his voicemail message.

It had been two weeks since Leslie Elizabeth Shay had died. Two weeks since Kelly's whole world had been changed forever. Two weeks since he last saw Erin Lindsay after his best friend's funeral.

"He's still not picking up?" Jay said as he walked into the break room.

Erin shook her head and poured both herself and her partner a cup of coffee "I'm at a loss her Jay. I don't know what to do anymore."

"No offence, but what exactly have you been doing these last two weeks? I mean all I've seen you do is keep blowing up his phone with missed calls."

"What's your point?" Erin bit back "I don't know how to be a girlfriend okay, why are you so surprised that I suck at being there for him?"

"Whoa, that's not what I'm getting at." Jay said placing his hand on her shoulder "Look Erin, you don't even need to be a girlfriend to know what to do here, and I know that deep down you know what to do."

"He keeps pushing me away Jay!" Erin says frustratedly "I can't get through to him no matter how much I want to."

"Erin, think about us." Jay says "You know how I feel about you-"

"Jay, you know we can't-"

"I know, just listen to me for a second okay?" Jay said annoyed "We sacrificed a chance at a relationship so that we wouldn't lose our friendship. Our partnership. Right?"

"Right." She agreed.

"But I know that no matter what, you've got me back, and I would hope you know that I've got yours."

"Of course I do." Erin replied.

Jay smiled "So maybe right now, Kelly just needs to know that someone has his back. That no matter what, that person isn't going anywhere."

"You're right." Erin said as Jay smirked

"I'm always right Lindsay, get used to it."

Erin rolled her eyes at his cocky reply before walking out of the break room and heading back to her desk to finish her paperwork. She contemplated calling Kelly again but Jay's words rang in her head.

If she was going to show up for him, she needed to do it in person.

* * *

Kelly felt the sun streaming down on him through the peep in the curtain. He could feel it's heat radiating over him as he tried to move away from its warmth and further into the comfort of his bed.

Only it wasn't his bed. It was his best friend's.

He had come home drunk every night for the past six days and fallen asleep in his best friend's bed. It comforted him in a way; the pillows still smelled like her. When he closed his eyes he could imagine her there, remembering the millions of times they had sat in that very bed over the past two and a half years and discussed life; her girlfriends, his flings, their favourite tv shows, the bets circulating around the fire station on Dawson and Casey's relationship. They had talked about anything and everything.

Those memories were the only thing that kept Kelly from staying in bed every night and completely drowning himself in his liquor cabinet. He knew Shay would kick his as if she knew how he was behaving in the aftermath of her death. He knew she would _definitely_ kick his ass if she knew how he'd treated Erin two weeks ago.

...

 _Erin followed Kelly into the apartment he shares - shared, she reminds herself sadly - with Shay. He tossed the house keys into the little bowl on top of the entryway cabinets before grabbing a beer from the fridge and flopping down onto the couch. Erin stands in the living room facing him, unsure of what to do._

 _"It was a lovely service." She said softly "I'm sure her family appreciated you helping them put it together."_

 _"It's not like they cared. Her Dad's a homophobic asshole who kicked her out the minute she turned 18." Kelly said bitterly._

 _"Kelly-" Erin's voice took a scolding tone, but she stopped short and took a few breaths before responding "nevertheless I'm sure her mother, and her sister especially, were thankful for it."_

 _"Whatever." Her mumbles taking a sip of his beer "When are you heading out?"_

 _"Oh. I - uh, I thought I'd stay the night." Erin says softly._

 _"I don't need a babysitter." Kelly scoffed._

 _"that's not what I'm trying to do." Erin insisted moving quickly to sit down next to him._

 _Her hand came to rest on his leg and he shrugged her off reaching for his beer that had been set on the coffee table in front of him._

 _"Kelly, you're grieving. You shouldn't be alone right now."_

 _"I'm fine." He said sternly._

 _"Look, at least let me call Gabby or-"_

 _"I SAID I'M FINE!" Kelly yelled as he shot up from the couch, his hand flinging the beer bottle in the air to smash against the floor._

 _Erin flinched at the sound, at Kelly's behaviour. It felt reminiscent to her 16 year-old self sitting in fear as Charlie yelled at her and threw whatever was in his reach in her general direction._

 _She tried to hold the tears at bay as she stood on shaky feet._

 _"You know what, you may be grieving, but it doesn't mean you get to act however you want." Erin said softly "I'm not going to be your punching bag Kelly. When you want to talk to me about your feelings, instead of trying to hurt mine, let me know."_

 _Kelly felt the guilt set in instantly, but it wasn't enough to convince him to stop her as she slammed the door door of his apartment behind her._

...

The lock of his front door clicking pulled him from his thoughts, and he grew confused at the sound. Besides Shay, he didn't know if anyone else who had owned a key to the apartment.

He dragged himself out of the bed, not bothering to put his sweatshirt on as he walked out into the living room. He stopped short when he saw the familiar brunette wavy hair of his girlfriend.

She stood across from him, arms crossed against her chest as she surveyed the mess of the room.

"Looks like I missed one hell of a party." She said sarcastically.

"What do you want Erin?" He replied dryly.

"It doesn't matter what I want." She said walking towards him "What matters, is that you need help Kelly."

"And you're gonna give it to me?" Kelly scoffed "I don't want you here Erin."

 _'Liar.'_ He thought _'You know you need her.'_

Erin stood before him, almost chest to chest, as she looked him dead in the eyes.

"No."

She could see the shock in his eyes, but it disappeared just as quickly as it had shown. "What!?"

"I'm sorry, but _no_." She repeated "Babe, you shouldn't be alone right now. You're scared, and angry, and that's perfectly understandable. And you can try to push me away, but I'm not going anywhere."

Kelly groaned, frustrated by his girlfriend's response "Seriously Erin, what the hell do you want? I don't _want_ you here. I don't want anyone here! I don't need you, and I _certainly_ don't want your help."

Erin felt the anger bubbling up. She knew she shouldn't let it get the better of her, given the situation, but she couldn't stop it any longer.

"You know what? Fuck you Kelly!" Erin exclaimed "You think you're the only one who's ever lost someone!? You're not! But you know what everyone else does; we mourn our loss, we carry it with us everyday. But we keep _fighting_. Because that's what they would've wanted us to do."

"Erin-"

"No! I'm done listening to you! You act like this is all about you, like you're the only one who lost her! Meanwhile, her sister spends every night crying herself to sleep. Her dad is in therapy, her mother barely talks to anyone. Gabby is a _wreck_. But you know what none of them are doing? They're not drinking themselves into a coma! They're fighting, they're living their lives as best they can, _for Shay_. It's time you started doing the same Kelly."

They were quiet for a moment, Erin waiting for Kelly to say something; to scream, to tell her to get out. But it never came. Instead, he fell to his knees and cried. Erin watched as Kelly finally let his grief let in. Let his heart and mind accept the fact that Leslie Shay was dead. That he had lost his best friend, forever.

She sank down beside him, her arms holding his head to her chest as he sobbed. Her hand ran up and down his back soothingly as she let him release his emotions.

"I can't do this without her Erin, she's my best friend."

"I know." She said softly "But we have to. That's the only choice we have. And it's what _Shay_ would want, Kelly. She wouldn't want you to miss out on your life just because you're afraid of moving forward without her."

"It's too hard." He cried.

"It seems that way now. But you have so many people to help you, people who understand what you're feeling. Let them help you. Let _me_ help you."

They stayed there, on the floor of the living room, for what felt like hours. Erin continued to console Kelly as he cried for his friend, as he acknowledged his loss.

When he had finally settled, she heard him whisper against her chest "I'm sorry."

Erin smiled sadly, leaning down to kiss the top of his head "I know. It's okay."

They pulled apart and Erin wiped the stains the tears had left on his cheek, taking in the dark circles around his bloodshot eyes."

"When was the last time you slept?" She asked quietly.

Kelly shrugged. He couldn't remember the last time he had truly had a peaceful night's sleep. He didn't want to allow his mind to succumb to the pain he felt, he wanted to remain numb to the emotions that threatened to attack him while he rested at night.

"Can you try and get some sleep, for me?" She asked "I need you to take care of yourself."

Kelly nodded, standing up and pulling Erin with him. She leaned in and kissed his cheek, before grabbing her bag from the couch and walking towards the door.

"Erin." He called out. She turned around to look at him once more, and he reached out his hand "Stay with me?"

The question came out like a statement, and Erin could hear the need in his voice. She smiled softly placing her bag on the floor near the front door and walking back to him, taking his hand in hers and letting him lead her.

* * *

They lay together late that night, Kelly's head resting comfortably on her chest as they held one another tight in the almost pitch-black of his bedroom; the moon outside the only source of light.

"I'm sorry Erin." He whispered suddenly "I don't deserve your help, especially after what happened the day of the funeral. I _never_ should have gone off on you like that."

"I get it Kelly. When I lost Camille, I was a _mess_. Justin and I were constantly lashing out at each other, saying a lot of hurtful things that we didn't even mean. Grief's tricky like that, anger can seep in and you don't even know what you're saying or doing until it's too late."

He could feel his eyes grow heavy as he let the steady rhythm of Erin's heartbeat lull him to sleep "Thank you for being here." He mumbled tiredly.

"Of course." Erin said strongly "I'm not going anywhere. That's a promise."

* * *

 **A/N: okay, so I know this may feel like a weird spot to jump to but there's still a lot more of Erin and Kelly's relationship to see after Shay's death, since I'm not having them break up immediately like the show did.**

 **I hope you guys like what I did in this chapter, I know it may be a bit weird to have Kelly so emotional because it's not a side we saw often but I think it's an important side to show in this story.**

 **I'd love to know what you guys though, please leave a review and let me know what you liked or disliked and if there's anything you'd like to see!**

 **\- Maddie :)**


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